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Get the essential book on Mike Leigh’s process

Calling all Mike Leigh fans

With our book Peterloo in Process, uncover the magic behind Mike Leigh’s working process as told by the man himself and the people who work with him.

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Mike Leigh book, Peterloo in process

One of the finest film-related texts of 2019

One of the finest film-related texts of 2019 was the Seventh Row team’s analysis of Mike Leigh’s Peterloo…edited by two of the smartest, most readable writers on film art, Orla Smith and Alex Heeney
Christopher Schobert
The Film Stage

Preview our Mike Leigh ebook for free

Read excerpts from Peterloo in process here.

Jacqueline Durran, Jacqueline Durran costume design, Jacqueline Durran Peterloo, Jacqueline Durran Mike Leigh

Why we wrote the book

About Mike Leigh and Peterloo

From Vera Drake to Happy-Go-Lucky, Naked to Mr. Turner, nobody creates a truly lived-in cinematic world like Mike Leigh. His unique directorial process, involving months of rehearsal, has long been a source of intrigue.

Our new ebook, Peterloo in process: A Mike Leigh collaboration, pulls back the curtain on how Leigh builds films in which every frame feels real and full of life. We’ve interviewed all of Leigh’s central team on his new film, Peterloo: not just the actors, but also the heads of department he’s collaborated with for years. We uncover how Leigh’s process involves rehearsal and improvisation, historical research, and collective brainstorming across all departments.

Snag our Mike Leigh book and learn how some of the most profound character studies of the last four decades came to fruition.

Get your copy now!

Watch the book trailer

Recall why you love Mike Leigh and discover what you’ll get from the book.

Play

Praise for Peterloo in Process: A Mike Leigh Collaboration

“A truly wondrous ebook from the Seventh Row gang. Reading this caused me to revisit the film, and actually change my opinion—and how rare is that? The writing is top-notch.”

Christopher Schobert


Christopher Schobert

Film Critic, The Film Stage

Listen to the podcast

Preview Peterloo in Process with our in-depth discussion of Peterloo and the highlights of the insights we gained from Mike Leigh and his collaborators.

Get your copy now!

Inside Peterloo in process, our Mike Leigh book

Peterloo in process is divided into five chapters:

Chapter One: On Peterloo

  • A run-down on the historical context behind Peterloo
  • An essay on how Peterloo upends the political period piece
Mike Leigh book, Peterloo in process

Chapter Two: An Overview of Mike Leigh’s Process

  • An outline of Mike Leigh’s filmmaking process from pre-production to the final cut
  • An interview with Mike Leigh
  • An interview with cinematographer Dick Pope
Mike Leigh book, Peterloo in process

Chapter Three: An Overview of Mike Leigh’s Process

  • An interview with actor Rory Kinnear
  • An interview with Actor Maxine Peake
Christine Blundell, Mike Leigh book, Peterloo in process

Chapter Four: Inside the Actors’ Surgeries

  • An interview with hair and makeup designer Christine Blundell
  • An interview with costume designer Jacqueline Durran
  • An interview with production designer Suzie Davies
Mike Leigh book, Peterloo in process, Jon Gregory

Chapter Five: Editing a Mike Leigh Film

  • An interview with editor Jon Gregory, who has collaborated with Mike Leigh on most of his films since 1990.
Get your copy now!

About the authors of Peterloo in Process

Alex Heeney

Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. As a film critic and engineer by training, she takes a systems approach to film criticism — looking at all the collaborators in the filmmaking process and how they fit together — which has been the inspiration for all of Seventh Row’s ebooks.

Orla Smith

Orla is a filmmaker and film critic, with a wealth of experience interviewing multiple department heads for films (e.g. Lean on Pete and On Chesil Beach) to piece together how these collaborations work and how the pieces all fit together.

Purchase your copy of Peterloo in Process

The ebook is available as an ePub and PDF, which are readable on all tablets, smart phones, and eReaders.

Buy the book here for $26.99 USD.

Get your copy now!
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